Anyone over the age of 30 who has spend any time in tech-adjacent spaces still cheering for #BigTech "joining" the #Fediverse is fucking deluding themselves. We've been through so many cycles of this shit over the past twenty years, how some people can still trust #facebook to do anything remotely ethical is beyond me.
They're not here to join, they're here to destroy. This is just the most cost-effective, PR-friendly way of doing it.
From a world-renowned expert on creative play and the impact of commercial marketing on children, a timely investigation into how big tech is hijacking childhood—and what we can do about it.
Lifting up the rocks in the garden of Sci-fi to look at what's squirming underneath: TESCREAL
“I'd like to explain why I—and other SF authors—are terrible guides to the future. Which wouldn't matter, except a whole bunch of billionaires are in the headlines right now because they pay too much attention to people like me.”
Facing pressure in India, Netflix and Amazon back down on daring films
In the last four years, a chill has swept through the streaming industry in India as Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party tightened its grip on the country’s political discourse and the American technology platforms that host it.
“In the theory of Surveillance Capitalism, the algorithm was invented to make advertisers richer, and then went on to pervert the news (by incentivizing “clickbait”) and finally destroyed our politics when its persuasive powers were hijacked by Steve Bannon, Cambridge Analytica, and QAnon grifters to turn millions of vulnerable people into swivel-eyed loons, racists and conspiratorialists.”
'#eDiasporas are networks driven by human agency, referring to communities of individuals who maintain connections with their home countries and diasporic fellows through digital tools.'
'Therefore, while #eDiasporas represent networks driven by human agency, HD might be perceived as dysfunctional networks of #data-driven activities entirely dependent on data #extractivism dominated by #dataopolies#GAFAM#BigTech'
Earlier this summer, our CEO @jon was at the Tech Open Air festival in Berlin talking about how to disrupt #BigTech, why we support the #Fediverse with Vivaldi Social & more!
This topic is very close to our heart, since Vivaldi's mission is to give control back to the user and help them get away from Big Tech.
Here is an interesting piece about some possible impacts that AI might have on online communities.
Shown here is one that I feel has been a problem for many years:
"... everything new posted online is created by a machine or by someone looking to turn a profit."
Although I do occasionally find other voices online, big social media has been very effective in silencing too many of them. Their algorithms-tuned-for-profit and use of dark patterns has made it increasingly difficult to hear the helpful voices over the ugliness and nonsense.
And we've allowed them to improperly use Section 230 as a shield to protect them from responsibility for the harms they have knowingly created.
Maar nog belangrijker voor het platformbedrijf is iets anders, denkt @remcopijpers van Kennisnet: ‘Kinderen worden zo heel subtiel grootgebracht tot Google-consumenten. Via het publiek betaalde onderwijs.’
Whenever you see the words “ads”, “cryptocurrency”, “blockchain”, “web 3”, or “AI”, just replace them with “farts” and you’ll know whether you want them or not.
“Can the fediverse survive without farts?”
Yes, perfectly well.
“Will farts replace people?”
I hope not.
“The European Commission embraces farts.”
That’s unfortunate.
“This new startup wants to improve your life with farts.”
The recent Reddit and new Twitter migration waves should teach a very important lesson to the the “growth at all costs and by any means” genocidal corp supporters on the #Fediverse: not being involved with #BigTech remains a selling point. Yes, even when “influencers” and “personalities” are letting themselves be exploited to advertise for the new enshittification traps in exchange for a promise of clout.
It's nice that #Apple and #Google will face more competition for their #appStore, but if it's gonna be just from other #bigTech companies (#Meta and #Microsoft), it's not gonna help the end users!